TRAVEL AROUND SPAIN SPAIN Contents Introduction.................................................................6 General information......................................................7 Transports.................................................................10 Accommodation..........................................................13 Food.........................................................................15 Culture......................................................................16 Region by region and places to visit..............................18 Andalusia........................................................19 Aragon............................................................22 Asturias..........................................................25 Balearic Islands...............................................28 Basque Country................................................31 Canary Islands.................................................34 Cantabria........................................................37 Castille-La Mancha...........................................40 Castille and León.............................................43 Catalonia........................................................46 Ceuta.............................................................49 Extremadura....................................................52 Galicia............................................................55 La Rioja..........................................................58 Madrid............................................................61 Melila..............................................................64 Murcia.............................................................67 Navarra...........................................................70 Valencia..........................................................73 Introduction Member of EU State: Parliamentary monarchy Capital: Madrid 17 regions and 2 cities Extension: 505.370 km The 4th biggest country in this continent, the 2nd country in the EU Population: 46.56 million 3rd county the most visited in the world Language: Spanish and in some regions also their own languages A diversity of climates. 3000 hours of sun per year. Phone prefix: +34 Emergency number: +112 General Information Not necessary special vaccines. If you are EU member or you are from Switzerland, Norway, Iceland or Liechtenstein, you just need your ID card or passport. If the traveller is under 18, parental permission is necessary. If you are from another country you will spend maximum 90 days in Spain. Spain is a safe country but, as in all touristic places, it is better to keep an eye on your belongings because there could be pickpockets. You should bring your European Health Card. It is only valid in public hospital. To go to private hospitals is necessary to pay or to have a special insurance. Our currency is Euro. Each euro has 100 cents. We have coins for 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents, and for 1 and 2 euros. Also, 5, 10, 20, 50, 100, 200 and 500 bills euros. You can exchange your money in the establishment of currency exchange, banks, and some hotels and travel agencies. Tips are not mandatory but are between 5 and 10% of the total amount. Malls are usually open between 10 and 22. Small shops are usually closing at 20:00 and take breaks at Spanish lunch between 13:00 and 16:30. On Sundays are usually closed but some malls are open. Breakfast is between 08:00 and 10:00, lunch is between 13:00 and 15:30 and dinner time is between 20:30 and 23:00. Time zone is GMT (UTC +01:00) but there is an exception in Canary Islands where is GMT (UTC +00:00). Electricity uses 220 v and 50 Hz. The plug is the same as the Czech Republic. Museums are sometimes free on Sundays. It is only valid for permanent expositions. Smoking is not allowed in enclosed spaces, hospitals, schools or playgrounds. If you are not sure, is better ask before smoking. If you smoke in these places, you could be fined. Drinking on the street is not allowed, you can be fined. There are exceptions in some local festivals. Transports Plane: the best and fastest way to go to Spain is by plane. We have a lot of airports in the cities of the coast, in islands and in some cities in the centre like Madrid. The most important airports are in Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga, Mallorca, Gran Canaria, Alicante, Tenerife South, Ibiza and Lanzarote. Train: in Spain, we have a lot of different trains. The fastest is AVE but is very expensive. The rest of the trains as TALGO are cheaper but it takes you a lot of time more to get to your destination. So you have to decide what you prefer, speed or spend less money. Bus: buses are cheaper than trains but it is usually slower than train and planes. Ships: ships are very common to travel between islands. In general, are cheaper than planes but it takes you more time. Car: you can rent a car but the prices change so much depending on de region so it is better to check prices before renting. In some regions as the Canary Islands or Balear Islands it worth it to visit the islands because there a lot of places where you can not go by bus or the frequencies of the buses are very bad. Blablacar: we have this system and it is very common in the peninsula to go to another region. It is usually cheaper than the planes or trains but not always. Taxi: taxis are very common. In some places as airports you have fixed rates and if you are more than 2 people it can worth to take one in places as Madrid because public transport from the airport to the centre is very expensive. Check it before taking one. Also, we have Uber. Underground or trams: some big cities have underground and it is the fastest way to go to another point in the city. I recommend you check if in the city where you are, exists touristic tickets because sometimes it is cheaper than to take single or return tickets every day. Cycle: it can be good only in some cities that are prepared for it. It is not common as a transport only as a sport. Hitch-hiking: if you are thinking about choosing this option, you have to know that we are not trustful in this sense so probably anyone will pick you up. In the past, it was very common but now it is almost impossible. Accomodation Hotels: in general are expensive, but the quality of the hotels in Spain is very good, especially in touristic places or near to the beach. Sometimes, you have a swimming pool and it is very good if the sea is stormy or it is very windy these days. At least you will enjoy the sun and you can swim in the pool. I will recommend you if you have a big budget. Also, it is good if you want to go to a resort. Appartments: are very good in the cities of the coast and some of them have a pool. It is a very good option for groups of friends or families that want to sleep together and to have space to cook. Sometimes, if you take a big apartment and you are a big group it can be cheaper than a hotel or even a hostel and it is more comfortable than a hostel because you have your privacy. Hostels: it is exactly the same as in other countries and it is cheaper. In Spain are very common double rooms so you can find some instead of looking for one in hotels. Airbnb: the offer is increasing these years. It is another option which is extended in different countries. It works in the same way as in other countries. But, they have some legal problems now. Couchsurfing: probably it will be more successful than hitchhiking because there is a database so we are more trustful. Campings: in general there are more famous for festivals or being in the forest or on the coast for some days but you can go there anyway. Food Spanish diet has a lot of variety: seafood, fish, meat, rice, legumes, vegetables, desserts... So you do not have a problem anyway if you do not like some kind of food. Be careful. In every city, they want to sell you food from another region and it is not the same. They try to catch tourists so you have to check it before eating and to know, for instance, paella is from Valencia Region not from Galicia. But, for example, you can try Spanish omelette in every region although it's from Navarra or different kind of tapas in general. Also, you can taste chocolate and churros or Iberian ham. More specific information in next pages, region by region. Culture Religion: was very important at the time. Catholicism is the main religion but now young people are less religious in general. The country is still being Catholicism, around 68% of the population. Hello Welcome: we usually kiss one or two times depending on the region when you meet someone. It is normal. It does not matter if it is the first time that you meet them or not. We shake our hands just in case of formal situations. Expressions: we are very close to people so maybe you can be afraid and probably you are asking yourself what he is doing. For us, it is normal that someone is joking or laughing like waiters, especially in the South. If you are in this situation do not be offended. Flamenco: you have to know that we are not all time dancing flamenco. And is not typical in the whole country. It is just typical in Andalusia Region. We are not dancing flamenco all day, either everywhere. Siesta: it is a very common stereotype but not everybody does it. Sometimes people do it, sometimes not. We also have more things to do. Toros: this is another point that it is not true. It is more typical in the South and centre of Spain. Not everybody goes to see them. For example, in Canarias are not allowed. But if you are interested, you can pay for a